Lawton Williams, 85, songwriter who wrote hit 'Fraulein' dies
wazzzy
Songwriter Lawton Williams, known for the 1957 song of the year
"Fraulein," as well as "Geisha Girl" and "Color of the Blues," died of
a respiratory illness Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. He turned 85 on
Tuesday.
Country singer George Jones said, "He was always very, very nice and a
real talent. He finished up 'Color of the Blues' with me, and wrote
one of my all-time favorite songs, 'Fraulein.''' About every third
album, Jones wants to re-cut that song, which he once covered.
"He was pushing all the right country music buttons for that era,"
said songwriter/producer Bobby Braddock. "He was writing songs that
were unique and original and that were hard country at a time when so
much country was being influenced by rock and roll and rockabilly. He
was a great songwriter and he certainly was an influence on the
country part of me."
Writing just came naturally to Mr. Williams, said his daughter, Joan
Dollar.
"He would just get an idea about something and then write a song
around the idea," said daughter Janet Steen. "He was writing while he
was in the hospital. He was saying words to himself; you could see his
mouth moving."
Born in Troy, Tenn., the fiddler's son was stationed in Houston during
World War II. It was there he learned how to write songs from Floyd
Tillman. Mr. Williams enjoyed his first cuts by artists such as Cliff
Bruner and Laura Lee McBride and performed on radio stations. He began
recording for Sultan and Fortune labels in the late 1940s, and later
signed with Four Star, Coral and Imperial.
Hank Locklin hit No. 4 with Mr. Williams' "Geisha Girl" and Bobby
Helms' took Mr. Williams' "Fraulein" to No. 1 in 1957. This year marks
the 50th anniversary of "Fraulein," which was named Country Song of
the Year at the 1957 Billboard and Cashbox Awards. It spent 52 weeks
on the country charts and became a No. 16 pop hit.
"They called the song the Texas national anthem because it was such a
great two-step song," Braddock said. "The people who had been overseas
after World War II and stationed in Germany and dated German girls
identified with that song. He did the same thing for those who had
been stationed in Japan was 'Geisha Girl.'"
Jim Reeves cut "Senor Santa Claus," Gene Watson and Joe Nichols
recorded "Farewell Party" and Bobby Bare released "Shame on Me."
Williams, who recorded for Mercury and MCA, once said, "As long as
country music fans want to hear traditional country music, that's what
I'll be writing and recording."
His last recording was on the Heart of Texas Records' tribute to Floyd
Tilman called The Influence. Williams recorded his song "It Just Tears
Me Up" with Tilman.
"What we want him to be remembered for are the songs he wrote," said
Steen.
By BEVERLY KEEL
Staff Writer
wazzzy
Janice Busgal Brooks
> Bobby Helms - Fraulein --
>
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=n8YkMmZU1Sg
I knew this last evening but was waiting for the official notice. Our
live 365 station RAM Radio put "Color of the Blues" in rotation.
wazzzy
Lawton Williams spent his adult life writing traditional country songs
that included the 1957 hit "Fraulein."
In the early 1960s, he was also a performer and emcee of "Big D
Jamboree," broadcast Saturday nights from the Sportatorium in Dallas
on KRLD-AM (1080).
Mr. Williams pursued his craft until the very end, composing songs
from his hospital bed, said his wife, Jeanette Williams of Fort
Worth.
Too short of breath to talk, his family observed him mouthing words.
"You could see his lips moving and he was thinking," Mrs. Williams
said. "He couldn't say anything, he was too short of breath, but he
was composing.
"We could ask 'Are you writing a song?' and he'd nod his head, 'Yes.'
"
Mr. Williams, 85, died Thursday of respiratory failure at Harris
Methodist Fort Worth Hospital.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Laurel Land Funeral Home in Fort
Worth. He will be buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park.
"He really had started writing more country gospel recently," said his
daughter, Janet Steen of Weatherford. "I know that there were some
still in his head that we'll never get."
Mr. Williams was a funny, generous person, who liked practical jokes,
his daughter said.
Born in Troy, Tenn., Mr. Williams grew up on a farm and set his sights
on a music career early on.
Mr. Williams liked to say that working on a sharecropper farm was not
what he wanted to do with his life, so he learned to play guitar.
Singing just came naturally.
He served in the Army during World War II. He was based in Houston,
where he learned songwriting tips from future County Music Hall of
Fame songwriter Floyd Tillman.
After the war, Mr. Williams entered the entertainment business in
Michigan. He recorded for a number of record labels and performed on
the radio.
In 1950, he and his wife moved to Fort Worth to be near her sister.
Mr. Williams wrote "Geisha Girl," which became a hit for Hank Locklin.
In 1957, he had "Fraulein," the No. 1 hit for Bobby Helms. "Fraulein"
was the Country Song of the Year at the 1957 Billboard and Cashbox
Awards.
"Fraulein" was known as the Texas national anthem because it was such
a great two-step song, songwriter and producer Bobby Braddock told The
Tennessean.
"The people who had been overseas after World War II and stationed in
Germany and dated German girls identified with that song," he told the
Nashville newspaper. "He did the same thing for those who had been
stationed in Japan with 'Geisha Girl.' "
In 1958, Mr. Williams was a guest on "Big D Jamboree" and soon became
a performer-emcee.
Mr. Williams was known for sticking with country music's traditional
style as many artists began to be influenced by rock 'n' roll.
Mr. Williams' work included "Color of the Blues" recorded by George
Jones, "Shame on Me" by Bobby Bare, "Senior Santa Claus" by Jim Reeves
and "Farewell Party" recorded by Gene Watson, Joe Nichols and Alan
Jackson.
In 1964, he wrote "Everything's OK on the LBJ."
"He was always writing," his daughter said.
Mr. Williams wrote "Bring My Daddy Home" after the terrorist attacks
on Sept. 11, 2001, his daughter said. The song was recorded by Jim
Eaves of Fort Worth.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Williams is survived by a
daughter, Joan Dollar of Granbury; a brother, Ben Williams of Venice,
Fla.; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
By JOE SIMNACHER